Gov. Brad Little dealt a blow to Idaho's teachers unions Friday by signing a bill into law that limits their ability to advocate on political issues and collaborate on professional development with their local districts.
House Bill 516 bars teachers unions from using any taxpayer resources or facilities to conduct their activities. That includes collecting dues through a district's payroll system, holding meetings or trainings at a district facility and, in some cases, letting teachers use paid leave to advocate on legislation.
"...while local and state teachers' associations do important work, they remain private organizations that currently receive taxpayer-funded support not extended to other private entities," Little said in a letter explaining his support of the bill.
Despite signing the legislation into law, the governor said some of the definitions used in the bill are "overly broad and ambiguous and will lead to increased scrutiny of a teacher's actions purely based on their affiliation with their local association."
Little also cautioned that the law, which will take effect July 1, could have a "chilling effect" on a district's ability to collaborate with unions on professional development and charity work.
"These are real and valuable activities that exist to improve the competency of our educators and, in turn, student outcomes."
The Idaho Education Association, which is the state's largest teachers union, had been urging its members and supporters to contact Little's office asking for a veto.
IEA has also endorsed Little in the past, most recently during his 2022 campaign.
"Gov. Little claims the mantle of a public education supporter, but he just signed a bill that could cement his legacy as anything but," said IEA President Layne McInelly.
"...he ignored his better angels, signed this terrible bill into law, and waited to reveal that until Friday at 5 p.m. — a time designed to avoid the spotlight," said McInelly. "Idaho's students and the dedicated professionals who teach them will be worse off because of his choice."
House Bill 516 didn't initially address teachers unions at all.
House lawmakers pushed through another bill tackling the issue, but a Senate committee chairman refused to give it a hearing. State senators amended House Bill 516 to include the teachers union language by a one-vote margin, bypassing the Senate committee entirely.
The proposal never received a hearing by either the House or Senate education committees.
The public only had one opportunity to weigh in on the issue during a February meeting of the House Commerce and Human Resources Committee.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
